Display rack



Dec. 24, 1963 F. SENICAL DISPLAY RACK Filed Nov. 20, 1962 INVENTOR.

29 EARL F. SENICAL ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,115,252 DISPLAY RACK Earl F. Senical, 3258 Buckingham, Berkley, Mich. Filed Nov. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 239,002 2 Claims. (Cl. 21155) This invention relates to display racks, and more particularly to a display rack structure for supporting and displaying articles of manufacture such as magazines, records and the like.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a display rack structure which includes a plurality of article supporting trays disposed upon an upright standard in positions substantially adjacent each other, and with the upper ends of each tray offset outwardly from the lower end of the next above disposed tray, whereby the upper ends of articles supported in the trays will overlap the lower ends of articles in the next above mounted tray to provide a compact rack structure which will support a plurality of articles in a minimum of display s ace.

'lt is another object of the present invent-ion to provide a novel and improved display rack structure which is compact and rugged in structure, economical of construction, and which may be made from metal rod or like material with the various parts thereof fixedly connected together by any suitable means, as by welding or the like.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved display rack structure which comprises a plurality of article supporting units removably mounted in an offset parallel relationship on a supporting panel and in which each of the units comprises a tray portion and a hanger portion.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a display rack structure made in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing one of the article receiving units in fragment;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG 1; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the upper article receiving unit illustrated in FIG. 2 taken in the direction of the arrow marked FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment is shown which comprises the support panel and on which is removably mounted the article supporting units generally indicated by the numerals 11, 12 and 13. The support panel 10 may be mounted on a wall or a floor supporting means as desired. The panel 10 is provided with a plurality of holes 14 for quick and easy mounting of the units 11, 12 and 13, on the panel 10, as more fully described hereinafter. The article supporting units 11, 12 and 13 are similarly constructed :and article supporting. unit 11 will be described in detail. The same reference numerals will be used on article supporting units 12 and 13, followed by the small letters a and b.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, article supporting unit 11 comprises the hanger generally indicated by the numeral 15, and the tray generally indicated by the numeral 16. The tray includes a back portion comprising the vertical spaced apart upwardly diverging rods -17 and 18 which are fixedly connected at the lower end thereof by the horizontal cross-piece 19'. The tray further includes a front portion comp-rising the vertical spaced apart upwardly diverging rods 20 and 21 which are fixedly connected together at the lower ends thereof by the cross-piece 22. The front portion is laterally spaced apart outwardly 3,115,252 Patented Dec. 24, 1963 ice from the rear portion. The upper ends of the rear portion rod 18 and the front portion rod 21 are fixedly connected together by the horizontally disposed U-shaped side rod 23. The upper ends of the rear portion rod 17 and the front portion rod 20 are also fixedly connected together in a similar manner by the horizontal U-shaped side member 24. It will be seen that although the crosspieces 19 and 22 are formed integral with the aforedescribed front and rear portion vertical rods, they may be made separately and welded to said vertical rods.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear portion rods 17 and 18 are interconnected by means of the vertically spaced apart cross-pieces 25 and 26. The cross-pieces 25 and 26 may be fixedly secured to the rods 17 and 18 by any suitable means, as by welding. The front portion rods 20 and 21 are fixedly interconnected by means of the cross-piece 27 which may be fixedly secured to these rods by any suitable means, as by welding. The lower end cross-pieces 1'9 and 22 of the front and rear tray portions are fixedly interconnected by means of the lateral spaced apart interconnecting rods 28 and 29. .The rods 28 and 29 are fixedly secured to the cross-pieces 1 9 and 22 by any suitable means, as by welding. The tray 16 is provided on the front side thereof with an inverted U- shaped brace comprising the vertical rod portions 30 and 31 which are integrally connected by means of the cross rod 32. The rods 30 and 31 are fixedly connected to the cross-piece 27 by any suitable means, as by welding.

As shown in the drawings, the lower ends of the rods 30 and 31 are preferably formed integral with the bottom rods 28 and 29. The aforedescribed tray structure is mounted on the supporting panel 10 by the following described hanger structure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hanger structure includes the pair of laterally spaced apart vertical rods 33 and 34 which are fixed-1y connected to the tray cross rods 25 and 26 by any suitable means, as by welding. As illustrated, the lower ends of the hanger rods 33 and 34 are integrally formed with the tray bottom rods 28 and 29. The upper ends of the hanger rods 33 and 34 are integrally formed with the rearwardly extended upwardly sloping rods 35 and 36, respectively. The rods 35 and 36 are provided with the upwardly extended integral retainer rod portions 37 and 38. As shown in FIG. 1, the hanger retainer rod portions 37 and 38 are inserted through a pair of holes 14 in the panel 14 and the hanger and tray structure is. then swung downwardly to the position shown in the figures. The lower end of the hanger rods 33 and 34 then abut the front face of the panel 1% and maintain the trays in an upwardly and outwardly sloping position relative to the panel 10.

It will be seen that a with a plurality of article supporting units mounted as shown in the figures that records, magazines and the like may be supported in the article receiving unit with the upper or title ends thereof overlapping the lower ends of the next above disposed unit whereby an increased number of article receiving units may be supported on a panel 10 in a more compact area than was heretofore possible with the prior art display rack structures. It will be seen that in the units below the uppermost unit, as for example in units 12 and 13, that the hanger rods 35 and 36 are slightly longer than in the uppermost unit 11. It will also be seen that the hanger rods 35 and 36 are interconnected by the cross brace rod 39. The cross brace rod 39 is interconnected with the tray cross brace 26 by means of the vertical brace rod 40.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A display rack structure comprising: a vertical panel; a plurality of article supporting units removably mounted on said panel in a vertically aligned disposition; the upper ends of the units below the uppermost unit being disposed adjacent to and offset outwardly from the lower end of the next above disposed unit to permit the u per ends of articles carried in units to overlap the lower end of an adjacently 'above disposed unit; each of said article supporting units comprising a tray; a hanger fixedly connected to each tray; each hanger having means for removably securing the hanger to said panel; each of said trays comprising a back portion including a pair of spaced apart vertically disposed upwardly diverging rods interconnected by a plurality of cross-pieces, a front portion including a pair of spaced apart vertically disposed upwardly diverging rods interconnected by a plurality of cross-pieces, and the upper ends of the rods of said front and back portions being interconnected by a horizontal sidewardly outwardly extended U-shaped member.

2. A display rack structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said hanger means includes a pair of vertical laterally spaced apart rods fixedly connected to the cross-pieces of said tray back portion and means on the upper ends of said hanger rods for reinovably securing the hanger to said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A DISPLAY RACK STRUCTURE COMPRISING: A VERTICAL PANEL; A PLURALITY OF ARTICLE SUPPORTING UNITS REMOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PANEL IN A VERTICALLY ALIGNED DISPOSITION; THE UPPER ENDS OF THE UNITS BELOW THE UPPERMOSTUNIT BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT TO AND OFFSET OUTWARDLY FROM THE LOWER END OF THE NEXT ABOVE DISPOSED UNIT TO PERMIT THE UPPER ENDS OF ARTICLES CARRIED IN UNITS TO OVERLAP THE LOWER END OF AN ADJACENTLY ABOVE DISPOSED UNIT; EACH OF SAID ARTICLE SUPPORTING UNITS COMPRISING A TRAY; A HANGER FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO EACH TRAY; EACH HANGER HAVING MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING THE HANGER TO SAID PANEL; EACH OF SAID TRAYS COMPRISING A BACK PORTION INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED APART VERTICALLY DISPOSED UPWARDLY DIVERGING RODS INTERCONNECTED BY A PLURALITY OF CROSS-PIECES, A FRONT PORTION INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED APART VERTICALLY DISPOSED UPWARDLY DIVERGING RODS INTERCONNECTED BY A PLURALITY OF CROSS-PIECES, AND THE UPPER ENDS OF THE RODS OF SAID FRONT AND BACK PORTIONS BEING INTERCONNECTED BY A HORIZONTAL SIDEWARDLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDED U-SHAPED MEMBER. 